Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Turkey’s Diyanet religious directorate stands firm with Hamas, issues anti-Israel fatwa
(Nordic Monitor)
Kazakhstan’s tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Eureporter)
Brazil: Bahia [soccer team] launches new shirt to combat religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Mayara Nayllanne, Olá Bahia)
Brazil: Univali hosts 4th Brazilian Congress on Religious Law (Portuguese)
(Blog do Prisco)
Monday, 20 November 2023
How people in South and Southeast Asia view religious diversity and pluralism
(Manolo Corichi, Pew Research Center)
Cambodia: Protecting Harmony: Govt to crack down on religious, political extremism
(Khmer Times)
Taiwan’s religious success story
(Knox Thames, The Taipei Times)
Canada: Submission to AMAD committee studying MAID for mental disorders
(Rebecca Vachon and Andreae Sennyah, Cardus)
Canada: Jewish high school closes early after bomb threat
(CBC News)
Malaysia: Mother-daughter duo challenge ‘stronger’ Sharia law – OpEd
(Vanitha Nadaraj, UCA News)
USCIRF releases report on religious garb and international human rights law
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Saying no to slave labor: Younger consumers are demanding the truth
(David Alton, America: The Jesuit Review)
Netanyahu’s genocidal religious rhetoric isn’t just an appeal to the Israeli right — he has another constituency in mind
(Brock Bahler, Religion Dispatches)
Articles of interest - 20 November 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Pakistan: New leader of Pakistan bishops vows to challenge blasphemy laws
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Argentina: ‘Anti-Pope’ elected president in Francis’s native Argentina
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Two weeks in review, 6 – 19 November 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest Nov. 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Daisaku Ikeda, head of global Japanese Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, dies at 95
(Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press)
Cuban Christians call on the regime to respect freedom of religion
(Evangelical Focus)
Japan, Tibet, Uyghur, and Southern Mongolia conduct seminar condemning China’s infamous religious order No. 19
(Central Tibetan Administration)
India's most populous state bans some Halal-certified products
(Reuters)
Jerusalem Christians rally round Armenian Church over land deal
(Crispian Balmer, Reuters)
Brazil: Podcast Faith, Politics & Citizenship 13-11-23 Dr Gilberto Garcia (Portuguese)
(YouTube Video, TV Metropolitana Rio 2)
Brazil: Paulinho, from the Brazilian [soccer] team, speaks out after suffering religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Redação Jogada10, Terra)
Brazil: TJ/SP [Sao Paulo court of appeals]: Reading the Bible in a session of the Araraquara Chamber is unconstitutional (Portuguese)
(Redação, Migalhas)
Brazil: Project increases penalty for racial insults committed in sporting, religious and cultural activities (Portuguese)
(Bom Dia Advogado)
Friday, 17 November 2023
Joint statement on the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS Africa Focus Group meeting
(U.S. Department of State)
Canadian white nationalist found guilty of murdering four Muslims in truck attack
(David Ljunggren and Ismail Shakil, Reuters)
Canadian killed family to make Muslims fearful, jury hears
(Nadine Yousif, BBC News)
Canada: Police evacuate Toronto Jewish day school after bomb threat
(Jackie Hajdenberg, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
India: Parsis in Mumbai fight existential decline in aspirants to priesthood
(Priyadarshini Sen, Religion News Service)
India: An appeal for protection of freedom of religion
(The Morung Express)
Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic cardinal says he dreams of bishops from greater China praying together
(Kanis Leung, Associated Press)
Hong Kong: The slow, insidious attack on freedom of religion in Hong Kong
(Benedict Rogers, The Diplomat)
Nepal: Religious liberty situation deteriorating in Nepal
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Nicaragua’s exiled clergy and faithful in Miami keep up struggle for human rights at Mass
(Giovanna Dell’Orto, Associated Press)
Human rights and Orthodox Christianity: Learning from our differences
(John Witte, Jr., Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem release statement on celebration of Advent and Christmas
(World Council of Churches)
What does Catholic just-war doctrine say about Israel and Hamas?
(V. Bradley Lewis, Daniel Philpott and R.R. Reno, National Catholic Register)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Nov 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia moves to ban ‘international LGBT movement’
(The Moscow Times)
Roblox ‘doing all it can’ to tackle proliferation of antisemitic content on platform
(Jewish News)
Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Philippines: Trafficking and modern slavery in the Philippines
(Haidi F. Fajardo, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
To the G20 leaders: An interfaith call to action
(W. Cole Durham Jr. and Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
USCIRF condemns Iran’s religious persecution of Baha’is
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF releases report on religious freedom in the Sahel region of Africa
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Algerian gov’t cracks down on house churches, arrests pastors amid Israel-Hamas war
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
Beijing bishop visits Hong Kong amid tensions between China and Vatican
(Jessie Pang and Joyce Zhou, Reuters)
The head of China’s state-backed Catholic church begins historic trip to Hong Kong
(Kanis Leung, Associated Press)
Hong Kong: Catholic leaders’ petition to free Jimmy Lai shows politics and religion do not mix
(Ronny Tong, South China Morning Post)
Thailand interfaith summit urges dialogue for development
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Thailand’s 4M Muslims to elect successor to nation’s top Islamic leader
(BenarNews)
Australia: New religious vilification laws come into effect in NSW
(Angelica Dino, Australasian Lawyer)
Australia: Free speech advocates at odds with faith groups over NSW hate speech law overhaul
(Tamsin Rose, The Guardian)
Religion and Commonwealth values
(Terry Barringer, The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs)
India: Protecting faith, freedom in India has become life threatening
(Muhammad Hanif, Pakistan Observer)
India: BJP leaders make provocative speeches in the name of religion: Raj CM Gehlot
(Hindustan Times)
A solid news peg for the under-covered story of Christian persecution
(Richard Ostling, Religion Unplugged)
Sri Lanka: Suppressing free speech & religious freedom by labelling them hate speech
(S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole, Colombo Telegraph)
Jury hears Canadian man who killed Muslim family was on drugs
(Nadine Yousif, BBC News)
Nepal's stolen gods seek new homes: Communities want statues to become a part of living heritage again
(Bibek Bhandari, Foreign Policy)
Uganda’s High Court directs Anglican church to use canon law in election fight
(John Semakula, Religion Unplugged)
Korean religious groups join call for labor-friendly law
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Monday, 13 November 2023
Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Women in Islam
(United Nations)
Indonesia: Ministry highlights importance of cross-cultural religious literacy
(Antara News)
Indonesia: Conservative Muslims protest Coldplay’s planned concert in Indonesia over the band’s LGBTQ+ support
(Fadlam Syam and Niniek Karmini, Associated Press)
WCC demands immediate ceasefire, humanitarian corridors in Palestine and Israel
(World Council of Churches)
Archbishop in Jerusalem addresses Synod with call for ceasefire and plea for peace in Israel and Gaza
(The Church of England)
Jerusalem’s church leaders call for sober Christmas in Holy Land as war rages
(Fiona André, Religion News Service)
Israel-Hamas is not a religious war and this is not your rapture
(Thomas Lecaque, Religion Dispatches)
India: ‘Beacon of hope’: Amid Gaza war, Indian Muslims take care of synagogues
(Monideepa Banerjie, Al Jazeera)
India: An interview with Ian Hall on the Hindu Right and India’s religious diplomacy (video)
(Religion & Diplomacy: A Resource of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy)
India: The movement to expel Muslims and create a Hindu holy land
(Tusha Mittal and Alishan Jafri, Coda Media)
India: Appointment of Christian judge in India’s top court lauded
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State take root on the coast of West Africa
(Sam Mednick, Associated Press)
Hong Kong: The insidious undermining of religious freedom in Hong Kong
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
United Nations condemns Nicaragua’s anti-Catholic and anti-religious persecution
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Australia: Melbourne synagogue evacuated on Shabbat as tensions over Israel-Hamas war flare in Australia
(Philissa Cramer, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Australia: Labor to overhaul misinformation bill after objections over freedom of speech
(Josh Taylor, The Guardian)
Faith and climate change: Engaging religious communities in climate discourse
(Cameron Howes, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Religion Watch, Volume 38 No. 12
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
The dignity of the human person from a Hindu perspective (video)
(Facebook, Elijah Interfaith Institute)
IGE and Vietnam Government sign new agreement to build religious freedom
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Criminalizing Indigenous Belief: The Constitutional Deficits of Uganda’s Witchcraft Act
(Busingye Kabumba, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Divorcing abroad, sharīʿah style: Legal reforms and Moroccan women
(Federica Sona, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Iran: More than 20 Baha’i homes invaded in violent raids and many arrested in Iran as crackdown intensifies
(Bahá’í International Community)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 17
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
New UAE fertility law: Emirati doctor calls on scholars to legalise surrogacy in Islam
(Nasreen Abdulla, Khaleej Times)
Malaysia: Religious affairs minister: Members of special committee to draft Shariah laws will be appointed soon
(Malay Mail)
China: “Good person of Nanjing”: Catholic nun honored as a “moral role model” by the authorities
(Agenzia Fides)
China’s new law on religion: A great leap backward
(Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, The Japan Times)
China: Online antisemitism spikes amid Israel-Hamas war (video)
(Phoebe Kong, Deutsche Welle)
Articles and books of interest - 13 November 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Kenya bishops says high taxes threaten the country, especially the poor
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Ivory Coast: Small Jewish communities emerge in Ivory Coast
(Isabel Bonnet, Al Jazeera)
Nigeria: WCC urges government of Nigeria to do more to address economic injustice
(World Council of Churches)
Ghana must have regulatory framework to protect religious rights of students – Speaker Bagbin
(Modern Ghana)
WCC calls on COP28 to “rise above,” act collectively in addressing climate change
(World Council of Churches)
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